Log Cabin Republicans' federal political action committee raises around $100,000 for Republican candidates per election cycle. Some state chapters, such as New York, have state political action committees. Local chapters work at the grassroots level with such activities as educating local GOP candidates and officials, endorsing and raising money for GOP candidates, lobbying Republican politicians, and voter outreach.

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LCR was founded in 1978 in response to California's Proposition 6, the nation's first anti-gay ballot measure. Proposition 6 would have made it legal to dismiss gay or lesbian public school teachers based solely on their sexual orientations.

With an active 15-member national Board of Directors and National Advisory Board with prominent straight and gay elected officials, LCR works to create a more inclusive Republican Party. The founders of LCR chose the name "Log Cabin" in reference to Abraham Lincoln and the heritage of the Republican Party.

The Liberty Education Forum is a sister organization to LCR. The Forum was originally founded in 1995 as the Log Cabin Education Fund (LCEF) in order to provide a non-partisan education and research component to LCR. In 2001, LCEF officially became the Liberty Education Forum, a centrist think-tank with the mission of providing "new ideas and new directions for the gay community."

The Liberty Education Forum, along with LCR, filed an amicus brief in the landmark Lawrence v. Texas case, urging the United States Supreme Court to declare sodomy laws unconstitutional.

LCR share traditional Republican views on fiscal policy, limited government, crime, and foreign policy. While the Republican Party does not have a good history of supporting glbtq rights, LCR believes that equal treatment under the law for gay men and women is consistent with the principles and values of the Republican Party. LCR is committed to fighting the far right for control of the Republican Party's future.

Three-term member of the Massachusetts legislature and former Mayor of Melrose, Massachusetts, Patrick Guerriero is the executive director of LCR. Guerriero says that "the mere existence of Log Cabin recognizes that the Republican Party still has a long way to go," but believes that it is important to work for change within the party, "to change an institution that can't be changed from the outside."

The Republican Party has been slow to recognize the importance of gay and lesbian voters. According to the Voter News Service, 25% of self-identified gays, lesbians, and bisexuals voted for Republican George W. Bush for president in 2000. One-third of gay voters around the country are Republican. However, during the 1996 presidential campaign, Republican Candidate Robert Dole returned a $1000 contribution from the group.

In 1998 and again in 2000 the Log Cabin Republicans organization was barred from setting up a booth at the Texas Republican Party convention. President Bush flip-flopped many times over the possibility of meeting with Log Cabin Republicans before finally meeting with "Republicans who happen to be gay" in April 2000.

Meanwhile, LCR endorsed, campaigned and raised money for over 30 Republican congressional candidates in 2000 and supported New York Mayor Rudolf Giuliani and California Congressman Tom Campbell for the United States Senate.

In 2003, LCR launched a lobbying campaign targeted at Republican elected officials, urging them to oppose an attempt to amend the United States Constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage.

The New Right, which emerged during the last two decades of the twentieth century, combines evangelical Christian morality with a political agenda in opposition to glbtq equality.

Lesbian and gay couples have been fighting for the freedom to marry since the dawn of the modern glbtq struggle for equality; despite some success abroad, progress toward same-sex marriage in the United States has been slow.

Long active in the glbtq community, Miriam Ben-Shalom was the first gay or lesbian servicemember to be reinstated to her position in the United States military after being discharged for her sexual orientation.

Two of the most significant Supreme Court decisions regarding constitutional liberty for glbtq people are Bowers v. Hardwick (1986) and Lawrence v. Texas (2003).

The Republican Party of the United States has not been supportive of glbtq issues, despite the efforts of the Log Cabin Republicans.